Chapter 287: Sun-piercing

In the Tai Xu Sect, there were at least three Sumeru Secret Realms that Chen Qingyang could enter and exit at will. Only Xu Lingfeng posed a slight risk.

He was taking a familiar path into Cyan Bamboo Peak this time. His true body was hidden away in a secret location, and he only sent his Conscious Fish inside.

Of the three Sumeru Secret Realms, Cyan Bamboo Peak was the most peaceful and tranquil, standing like a veritable Peach Blossom Spring.

Crossing the Spirit Field, a purple aura filled the air amid an abundance of Immortal Grass, and many people were busy at work. Chen Qingyang had once considered stealing a stalk or two, but later decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. ‘I’d be better off stealing some Five Elements Qi.’

He then left the mirrored landscape and finally entered the bleak, severe domain that was the true essence of the Sumeru Illusion Realm.

He was more familiar with this place than any other, yet he had explored it the least after mastering the Array True Understanding. Therefore, his familiarity was with the Secret Realm itself, not the Array within it.

Standing still, he carefully observed the changes in the Array. The last time he came, all he could see were the structures and the twilight. But now, he could also perceive the silver-white Star Power that existed apart from the world.

It was spread out like a star chart, with specks of light corresponding to the heavens. Silver threads stretched between them, linking together to form a vast net.

Upon closer inspection, he discerned its movements. The points where the starlight converged were the key nodes of the Array.

Perhaps because there was no imminent danger here, the Star Power had become quite gentle. The ultimate convergence point for all the control points was located outside this mirrored realm. Chen Qingyang still remembered that on the day of the Tai Xu Elemental Separation Conference, Qing Yao True Monarch had stood in that very spot, manipulating the Array to draw in Earth Deities from all directions.

So this was the Array Profound.

With a True Monarch presiding over it, he certainly didn’t dare go there. He turned and moved to a different area. The Star Power here was just as dense, and there was even Five Elements Qi drifting about.

Chen Qingyang understood at once. This was the Five Elements Cave Mansion. What he was seeing now was its true form; what one normally saw was merely an illusion.

Using this spot as his base, he sent his Conscious Fish to bathe in the vast expanse of Star Power. Then, Chen Qingyang began to utilize the Array True Understanding. For every step he withdrew the Technique, the Star Power advanced one step closer to him.

A faint, sharp pain pricked his mind.

‘So the Array blocks all external forces unless I use the Array True Understanding to direct them.’ Chen Qingyang was now weakening that control little by little. As he did, the Star Power’s destructive force against him intensified.

‘Since the True Dragon fears this power above all else, surely I can use it to destroy at least some of the Divine Soul it left inside my body.’

As the Star Power intensified, so did the pain.

He couldn’t see any results yet, so Chen Qingyang could only grit his teeth and press on.

He used the Great Soul Scripture to perceive his body in detail. The Star Power was concentrating on the nine Dragon Tendons within him. Under this force, the Dragon Tendons felt as if they were scorching. The power within them began to dissolve, taking the True Dragon’s Divine Soul along with it…

‘It’s working!’

He gritted his teeth and held on, but he could only last for a little over an hour before he was forced to stop.

The pain was secondary. The real issue was that this method was like scraping the poison from his bones—it consumed an enormous amount of his True Essence.

If he kept this up, his Cultivation would inevitably fall. The best solution was to go to the Five Elements Cave Mansion to replenish his Primordial Energy. Once his energy was full, he could return for another round of Refinement.

It was a slow process, but as long as he kept at it, he was confident he could eliminate the True Dragon’s soul completely.

‘Even though Yun Ci couldn’t help directly, he gave me some excellent advice!’

He left his Conscious Fish there to shuttle back and forth between the Five Elements Cave Mansion and the field of Star Power, while he himself returned to his small courtyard.

It was morning, and while everyone in the courtyard was busy with their own tasks, the yard itself was rather quiet.

When Chen Qingyang returned to the Alchemy Room, Xu Baoling was there, cultivating on the altar like a statue of a Divine Spirit.

Seeing him, she came over and asked with a smile, “Senior Brother, did you just get back from seeing Master?”

Chen Qingyang shook his head. “I went yesterday and only returned today. How could I have stayed with the Master this whole time?”

Xu Baoling then asked, “What did Master say about Lu Junlin?”

“He’s not the reincarnation of Master Yujin. But as for why his Cultivation has progressed so quickly, the Master wouldn’t comment. So, I’m afraid my curiosity remains unsatisfied.”

Xu Baoling laughed. “She’s always like that. She never pays any mind to things that don’t concern her. All the disciples of Four Golden Peaks know that.”

‘By that logic, she really went above and beyond for me yesterday, giving me Spirit Tea and offering her advice…’

As he thought of this, the image of their palms touching flashed through his mind again.

‘Whatever. I’ll just let it go. It was just a coincidence that day. I’m overthinking things.’

Xu Baoling knew Chen Qingyang tended to be overly cautious about everything.

「More than ten days passed.」

The Conscious Fish continued to shuttle in and out of the Five Elements Cave Mansion on Cyan Bamboo Peak. A small fraction of the True Dragon’s Divine Soul in his body had been chipped away. At this rate, it would still take another eight to ten years to completely annihilate it.

The method was effective, but it was painfully slow. He had no idea when he’d be able to catch up to Yun Ci.

…

[Chen Qingyang]

[Essence Condensation Six Realms]

[Great Soul Scripture: (4523/60000)]

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Xuanji Suspension): (13/40000)]

[Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual: (908/80000)]

[Tier Six Qianxue Soul Returning Pill: (1451/60000)]

[Nanming Red Emperor’s Celestial Burning and Sea Boiling Daoist Truth: (142/80000)]

[Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword (Bone): (4000/240000)]

[True Understanding of the Celestial Star Demon Suppression Array: (7/120000)]

[Ten Thousand Miles in One Breath Technique: (1546/50000)]

[Tier Four Dongming Upper Mansion Pill: (753/5000)]

[Tier Four Forget River Intoxication Bone Pill: (1/5000)]

[Available Immortal Seedling: 12582]

In the Alchemy Room of the small courtyard.

Sitting upright before the Pill Furnace, Chen Qingyang held an elixir in his hand. It was only the size of a soybean and as black as ink.